Kristen Harris


Kristen Harris is Professor of Neuroscience and Fellow in the Center for Learning and Memory at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research group at UT Austin uses serial section electron microscopy to study synapses. She is also a member of the Institute for Neuroscience and the Center for Theoretical and Computational Learning.

Background

Harris was born in North Dakota. In 1976, she earned a bachelors degree at Minnesota State University, majoring in biology and minoring in both chemistry and mathematics. Three years later, she earned her masters degree from the University of Illinois and went on to do graduate work at Northeastern Ohio University's College of Medicine. She obtained a PhD in neurobiology in 1982, after which she held a two-year postdoctoral position at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Research

Harris's research focus is to elucidate structural components involved in the cell biology of learning and memory. She focuses on seven main areas of research, which include